The Analytical Chemistry Core is designed to provide three types of services to Center investigators. First, it will analyze samples upon request for a variety of parameters that have been identified in developing this proposal. It is expected that this will involve primarily polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a variety of biological matrices, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and both chlorinated and mono-aromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in water and soils, and several characteristics of soils and sediment materials. Second, it will provide investigators with assistance on the behavior of target chemicals in their experimental systems and on issues related to sample handling, quality assurance/quality control, and methods development for those investigators who wish to perform their own analyses. Third, it will conduct a limited amount of methods development research for the purpose of extending the methods developed in-house to the point where they can be used by other laboratories. This effort will focus on increasing analytical efficiency, in order to reduce the cost of future analyses, both within the Core and in the broader environmental community. By performing these services, the Analytical Chemistry Core project is designed to allow researchers to concentrate on their primary areas of expertise, rather than requiring them to become expert in chemical analysis. By centralizing the chemical analysis expertise and making it available as a service, it is expected that higher quality data will be produced at a lower cost than could otherwise be realized.